Authorities Thursday publicly identified a young couple who died last week in a murder-suicide in a Nestor-area apartment.
Manuel Valenzuela Jr., 20, shot 16-year-old Abigail Lugo Lopez, inside his rental residence in the 2300 block of Grove Avenue shortly before 11 a.m. Friday, then turned the gun on himself, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Valenzuela and Lopez were in a dating relationship, police said. Lopez was living in San Diego when she died.
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One of Valenzuela's family members found the couple's bodies shortly after witnesses heard the gunfire, SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said.
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The motive for the crime remains unknown.
"At this point, it is still unclear what motivated the murder- suicide," the lieutenant said Thursday morning. "Detectives continue to work through the evidence."
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
